Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
Tech

Canadian Entrepreneur Enters Hands-Free Hoverboard Market Engulfed In Patent War

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Sep, 2015 11:02 AM
    A Canadian entrepreneur is stepping into a fierce global patent war as he begins to sell a hands-free "hoverboard" he believes will revolutionalize urban transportation.
     
    Darren Pereira's Huuver company has begun to sell online its brand of self-balancing electric boards called Uuboard (the first two vowels of both names have umlauts). A Toronto dealership is in the works.
     
    The colourful units that travel up to about 10 km/h have motors that are propelled by movements detected from sensors near the feet.
     
    "I think it's going to change the way we move," Pereira said in an interview from Toronto.
     
    Two gyroscopes are so sensitive they detect small shifts in balance. Lean forward and the device moves forward. Lean back and it reverses. Move to the right and it turns that way.
     
    The technology — described by some as mini-Segways without the poles — has drawn the ire of the New Hampshire-based company that first introduced its self-balancing personal vehicle in 2001.
     
    The subsidiary of China's Ninebot technology last week filed suit in Delaware for patent infringement against Inventist Inc., a Washington state company that sells transportation devices, including Hovertrax and Solowheel.
     
    Ninebot said its second-generation units, launched in 2006, included patented LeanStar technology.
     
    Inventist, however, said it has its own patents for "a two-wheel, self-balancing vehicle with independently movable foot placement sections."
     
    It filed suit against Ninebot in China, and last June against Soibatian Corporation for their product, the IO Hawk. Billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban then partnered with Inventist's founder, adding firepower to the effort to go after alleged copycats.
     
    Pereira, however, says the legal battles won't deter him from pursuing this business opportunity.
     
    "They could go after me but I'm about pushing public transportation," he said.
     
    Several Chinese factories pump out thousands of units a day under various names including Oxboard, Cyboard, Future Foot, Monorover, Airboard, Freego, Esway and Overoad.
     
    The Uuboard sells for $949 and comes with a one-year warranty, but rival products are available for between about $600 and US$1,800. Huuver's Chinese supplier, Cube Electronics Tech, said on its website they can be purchased directly for up to US$200.
     
    While the various models look alike and carry similar features, Pereira said they're not identical. Some are a little slower, sluggish and less durable, he said.
     
    Pereira said the Uuboard can work up to nine hours on a 135-minute charge. Weighing 22 pounds, it can carry people between 50 and 350 pounds.
     
    The hoverboards can be used on urban bike lanes and sidewalks, but Pereira said he's been asked to put it away at a Blue Jays game and in some shopping malls.
     
    Despite its US$1,800 price tag, the IO Hawk has had trouble keeping up with demand since it entered the U.S. market in February and attracted the attention of celebrities and athletes.
     
    Justin Bieber, NBA all-star Stephen Curry, actor Jamie Foxx and Kendall Jenner have all been seen using the device or a slightly cheaper brand, PhunkeeDuck.
     
    Rapper Wiz Khalifa was in the news recently when he claimed to be arrested at the Los Angeles airport for riding the device he called a "hoverboard" even though it has wheels that firmly touched the ground.

    MORE Tech ARTICLES

    5 Things About How Young And Old(er) Canadians Are Using Technology

    5 Things About How Young And Old(er) Canadians Are Using Technology
    TORONTO — It's not surprising that young Canadians are seen to be more plugged into digital trends than older consumers. But a new report from the Media Technology Monitor suggests the gaps between how the young and old(er) are using technology are, in some cases, vast.

    5 Things About How Young And Old(er) Canadians Are Using Technology

    Top Five Consumer Auto Gadget Tech

    Top Five Consumer Auto Gadget Tech
    Each year, it seems like SEMA — the auto aftermarket parts industry’s premiere trade show — gets bigger and bigger. 2014 was no exception, with over 135,000 people flooding the Las Vegas Convention Centre and Westgate Resort grounds to see the latest products companies had to offer.

    Top Five Consumer Auto Gadget Tech

    Facebook, Instagram suffer self-inflicted hour long outage affecting users worldwide

    Facebook, Instagram suffer self-inflicted hour long outage affecting users worldwide
    SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Facebook said it suffered a self-inflicted outage lasting an hour on Tuesday that made its site inaccessible to users worldwide.

    Facebook, Instagram suffer self-inflicted hour long outage affecting users worldwide

    Here's How People Post Life Events On Facebook

    Here's How People Post Life Events On Facebook
    With social networking sites becoming a part of our daily lives, people are sharing positive life events indirectly and negative life events directly on Facebook, says a study.

    Here's How People Post Life Events On Facebook

    Now, read audio clips on Facebook messenger

    Now, read audio clips on Facebook messenger
    Social networking site Facebook has launched a new feature for its messenger app that automatically transcribes any file sent as a voice recording and...

    Now, read audio clips on Facebook messenger

    Biosensor to help machines smell like humans

    Biosensor to help machines smell like humans
    In a first, an Indian-origin researcher from the University of Manchester has created a biosensor that can help machines smell the way humans do....

    Biosensor to help machines smell like humans